All I can really say is that I'm very thankful for all the support readers have shown for this story. It feels great to finally get back into the swing of things and just write - especially a story with multiple chapters.

Please enjoy the conclusion to this little fic of mine.

Kumiko kept them in her photo album, towards the back and protected in plastic sleeves. Each postcard she received from Reina originated from a different place extending up and down the country, from small towns to large cities. Every one of them represented an important attraction in a shiny photograph that felt so manufactured Kumiko almost doubted some of them were real places and not plastic models. None of the postcards ever had anything written on the back except for Kumiko's name and address in Reina's quick, almost thoughtless handwriting. None had any writing besides the first, which simply said "thank you" in the neatest handwriting Kumiko had ever seen Reina produce. The only other piece of mail that came in, beside her bills, was the monthly check sent to Reina from her parents. The brunette appreciated that her ex-girlfriend had not told her parents anything about their breakup, and in turn the apartment was still being paid for.

There was no contact between the two girls after Kumiko quite literally pushed Reina out the door. At any moment when the desire to reach out to Reina, to hear her voice, came over the brunette she beat it back. She would swallow hard as though a rock was stuck in her throat and then clean her apartment to get her mind off of that desire. Suffice it to say, the place was spotless. For her, disturbing Reina on the tour was tantamount to sabotage; she didn't want to undo all of the work and pain that went into the decision. Reina tried calling only once on the very night of the audition and Kumiko gripped the arms of her chair until her knuckles were white to stop herself from answering the phone. The silence following the phone's pitiful peals felt unimaginably heavy. Unbearably so.

That same night Kumiko stuffed some clothing into a bag and escaped the crushing silence of her home. Like a physical force it settled on everything, pushing it down into the earth with a strength that rivaled the pressure in the Marianas Trench. She traveled the streets thoughtlessly and ended up outside of the apartment where Sapphire - no, Midori Kawashima currently lived. Hesitantly she rang the doorbell, somewhat surprised at finding herself there.

"Hello - oh, Kumiko! Come in!"

The short girl had barely grown since high school, and was similarly just as kind as she had been back then too. She was dressed in her green pajamas, and the cutesy Tuba-chan pattern only added to her already young look.

"What brings you here so late?" she asked, expertly glossing over any awkwardness that should have come from the reappearance of an old friend at one's door late in the night. The two had kept in touch semi-regularly, but they weren't as close as they used to be. Life, as it tends to, got in the way. Kumiko fidgeted in her seat. "I don't deserve this kindness." she thought.

"I-I just needed to get out, you know? And I kinda...ended up here."

Midori looked her friend in the eyes and smiled as kindly as she could; she could see through the brunette's facade entirely. "Is that really everything, Kumiko?"

Kumiko stuttered a bit but ultimately gave up and explained the situation. For her part Midori listened well, kindly urging Kumiko on whenever she'd stop and fall into helpless, pitiful thought.

"I guess I was wondering if I could stay here for a few days?" Kumiko asked. "I don't want to be there when she goes home to pack or something. Seeing Re...seeing her right now would be too hard. I know I'd try and stop her from leaving me for so long - forever."

"Absolutely, Kumiko. Make yourself at home for as long as you need." Midori answered without hesitating.

She pulled Kumiko in for a tight hug. She was even thoughtful enough not to complain about Kumiko's tears drenching her pajama top.

~!~

Kumiko returned home two days later and settled into a complacent, everyday ritual that she relied on to keep herself from drifting into helplessness. She woke up and headed to her classes early each morning, spending much of her time reading or studying. After class she worked in the market below her apartment; dealing with customers took a lot of her attention, and for that she was grateful. When she inevitably returned home she cleaned religiously, and took her meals in silence afterwards. Kumiko began practicing the euphonium again too, hoping to replace the loss of beautiful music in the empty apartment and trying to draw some connection, a shared presence, to Reina once more. She ceased sleeping in her room, the biggest change in her home life. The empty bed was too alien now, as cold and lonely to her as the surface of the moon. Instead, the couch was her new bed and she slept dreamlessly. Even in her sleep she worked hard to prevent herself from conjuring up images of Reina.

Nearly a year passed by in this way, although Kumiko avoided thinking about time. It stopped for her when she "became a villain" and changed into a formless mass marked only by the flow of day and night, and the occasional postcard. These postcards were treasured items to her, gold and silver in paper form.

She received one, almost exactly a year after her ex-girlfriend left, that pictured their own town's main attraction: 'Le Sons Erratiques', the historic bar where Reina played so often. It took a few minutes for Kumiko to grasp what this meant. Like it was an ancient text she scoured the picture for any hint that it didn't mean what she thought - no, feared - that it might mean, but came up short. This postcard was proof that Reina was back in town, perhaps even that the tour was over, and in spite of herself this was an event that Kumiko feared beyond even death. Uncertainty and ambiguity plagued her like locusts.

What would happen now that Reina was back? Would they get back together? Would this be avoided, to give Reina the opportunity to keep moving forward in her career? Would they be excited to see one another again? Or angry? Desperate? Upset? A million and one situations unfolded themselves in Kumiko's mind. She had to lay down and close her eyes to stave off a headache.

The most pressing issue, however, was whether or not this meant that there would be non-postcard communication between the two. Kumiko wondered if she should call, or perhaps wait to be called on? Would they meet again in person, or avoid each other and instead keep up the postcards as their only communication? Kumiko felt her routine and its numbing comfort crumble around her. Once again she worried about Reina, and about their relationship - or lack thereof. She couldn't study anymore at school, and her apartment's tidiness seemed to fall out of line more and more each day.

Only a few days passed Kumiko lost any control over the situation. Fall began to take hold on the city, and the endless, vivid blue of the sky filled people with a comfortable joy. Kumiko, restless and confused, decided to take a quick walk to clear her head; what better to beat back a cloudy mind than a bright sky? Still, she could barely focus on her surroundings. The questions that popped up when she received the most recent postcard stuck in her mind without rest. The streets that day were filled with an unusually large crowd, everyone bumping into one another without much notice. Kumiko immediately knew something was wrong when she felt a strong hand grab her upper arm instead of simply bumping her and passing by. She turned around hurriedly, unsure of what to do except that it had to be something instead of nothing and nearly died of a heart attack when she came face to face with her 'assailant'. The beautiful purple eyes of Reina Kousaka stared at her with an unrivaled intensity, accompanied by a smile wide as the Earth.

So she ran. Not knowing why, not thinking even a bit, she ran from that grip and those intense eyes - the power they had over her was too great. She could feel herself shaking from the core of her body. Her legs were nearly jello, but still she ran.

Kumiko heard Reina call after her, but she didn't stop. The brunette collided with other pedestrians, some of whom yelled at her, and yet her legs continued to propel her further.

Breathing hard and drenched in sweat, Kumiko leaned hand-on-forehead against a utility pole when she had finally stopped running. Her breathing was deep and ragged, and her legs ached as though she had just finished a marathon. Her heart was in pain; from running or from Reina she didn't know.

"Oi...why did I do that?" she grumbled to herself. "It's only going to make things worse."

Regretfully she congratulated herself on not looking back to avoid witnessing the hurt in Reina's eyes. Once at home she tried to call Reina, but to no avail; the girl wouldn't pick up her phone. Kumiko didn't blame her, though. She'd probably do the same if the situations were reversed. "Tomorrow" she thought. "I'll go to the theater tomorrow and talk to her there".

~!~

The same fear Kumiko felt after seeing Reina the day before resurfaced while she stood just outside the door to the theater. "Where is this feeling coming from?" she wondered. A cool autumn wind blew and she shivered. To escape from the chill she gathered her resolve and went in.

"Hello?" she called out into the dark room. The place was barely lit; the normal fiery glow replaced by dim lights lining the walls of the room. The stage itself was the night, dark and silent. Kumiko uncertainly made her way around the large room looking for any signs of life. There seemed to be none

"Hello?" she called again. "Reina?"

Absorbed in her own thoughts she failed to hear the footsteps behind her or feel their pressure, until she was tapped on the shoulder by a large hand.

"Ah!" she squeaked and turned around on her heels to find the solid body of the conductor and his unreadable face peering down at her.

"Why don't you come with me? You seem panicked."

The conductor lead her to a back room, office-like in its layout and design. Pictures of countless musicians lined the walls, former ensemble players and famous people alike. The room smelled vaguely of mildew but was otherwise neat. A large oak desk separated the two, and the bottle of water he offered Kumiko sat unopened. In front of the conductor sat a steaming cup of coffee.

"She's good, that one." He started. "A real talent."

"Do you know where she is?" Kumiko ignored his conversation starter. "I haven't been able to reach her at all."

The conductor ignored her question in return and went on. "You know, she only talked about two things with us: music, and you. Every conversation with Ms. Kousaka lead to her observations regarding our show, or some thoughts about you. For nearly a year!" he grumbled, half in jest. "Assuming, of course, that you're her Kumiko."

"I am! Uh, was - well, uh...she talked about me?"

"Incessantly."

"Was it...good stuff? Because I have a feeling she might've been a bit hurt - wait, do you know where she is now? That's what's important." Kumiko shook her head to clear her mind a bit. She had to stay on topic, and for now that was finding Reina. She could ask the girl later about her Kumiko-centric conversations.

He hesitated for a few moments. "She asked me not to say anything."

"Eh?"

"Yesterday she came and asked for a place to stay."

Yesterday? That was when - "Did she say why?"

"You know Reina better than I - does she ever explain herself? She didn't tell me a thing."

Kumiko grumbled something under her breath.

"Still, I feel I owe her - she truly brought something unique to our ensemble."

"So you won't tell me?" Kumiko's face dropped.

"Rather, I will. She was distressed yesterday and if you can fix it, it'd ultimately be better for me. I can't have my star performer upset."

Kumiko opened her mouth in protest - she didn't want to be used as some kind of mediator - but closed it before she said anything to upset the unreadable man who held all the information she needed.

"So, uh…"

"Miss Kousaka is staying at Le Sons Erratiques, a few blocks away. I know the owner, so I asked him to let her stay for some time."

"Of course! The jazz club makes total sense!"

Kumiko nearly jumped out of her seat, pulling on her green canvas coat at the same moment. "Thank you!" she reached forward to shake his hand.

Unfortunately she also managed to knock the man's coffee all over him. His expression was still unreadable, but from his strict "Go. Now." she figured he might be angry.

There was a kind of frantic nervousness in her steps as Kumiko rushed to the jazz bar. An animalistic, instinctual fear that her prey would escape if she took too long to get it, and that failing would leave her empty enough to die. What if Reina had found another place to stay already? What if she had skipped town, believing that she had no home to go back to? Unwanted, unloved, and alone - if Kumiko's actions stirred up those feelings in Reina she would never forgive herself.

To her extreme annoyance Kumiko found that the club was still closed, and would be until that evening. It was early in the morning; the sun still on it's path towards noon. This was inexcusable, and in an uncharacteristic rage she banged on the door a few times - to no avail. Across the street was a coffee shop with outdoor tables where Kumiko and Reina regularly spent time together, and with fire in her veins Kumiko decided to stay there all day if she had to. She needed to be ready the moment she saw anyone go to open the club.

~!~

An eternity passed. Time felt to Kumiko like a kind of cosmic prank with how slow it sauntered and how long she still had left. She nursed a cup of tea after finishing two coffees quicker than she should have. The caffeine sent lighting through her veins, and that only made sitting around and waiting even worse.

In reality an eternity had not passed; about five hours did before she spied a person unlocking the door to the club. Kumiko nearly stumbled over herself as she rushed to the door, and managed to catch the man before he closed it behind him.

"I'm sorry ma'am, but we're not open yet. Come back later on tonight." the door nearly closed before she could reply.

"Wait! Wait - I just have a question."

"Yes?"

"Is...is there a girl staying here? A 'Reina Kousaka'?"

"Yes, actually. Why?"

"I need to see her. She was my - we are - well, I'm not so sure, but it's important that I talk to her as soon as possible."

"You, uh, wouldn't happen to be Kumiko, would you?"

She noded, confused.

"Miss Reina asked me not to let you in…."

Kumiko was absolutely deflated. Her heart sank, but still she pressed on.

"A-are you sure that's what she said?"

"Almost verbatim."

Her head hung low, Kumiko trudged home wanting to simply lay down and die.

She vowed to try once more to contact the girl - if after that Reina still didn't want to see her, she'd quit. It would be the very last time she would try. The outcome could only be despair and heartache, but Kumiko resolved to leave Reina alone if that's what she truly wanted.

~!~

She needed to be disguised one more time in order to enter the jazz club and get past the bouncer. This time, however, she didn't want to totally hide who she was; when she faced Reina she wanted to do it as herself. She tied her hair into a ponytail and donned a pair of sunglasses. Hopefully it'd be enough.

A sheen of sweat coated the nape of her neck as Kumiko made her way to the entrance of the club. Around her were the sounds and smells of life; food scents drifted along the breeze as did the vaguely stale smell of the streets. Murmurs and laughter and snippets of conversation were comforting to hear and the buzz of voices distracted Kumiko's clouded, worried mind. Her fingers fidgeted and she shuffled from one foot to the other while she waited. Outside of the jazz bar was a fairly large sign with Reina's face; she'd be playing tonight, and was now a big enough local star to draw crowds. Kumiko refused to look at the sign no matter how much her heart tried to betray her. The line moved rather quickly once the doors opened, and in no time she found a seat near the back. Kumiko kept her head low and her sunglasses on, hoping to prevent being found and thrown out.

The wait that night was excruciating. The bar was packed, as was the playlist of performers who each had a set. On any other occasion Kumiko would've cheered for every player and cherished the wonderful music they made, but that night the sounds were grating and left a taste in her mouth like ash. All of those performers on stage, all of the customers in the bar - they were infringing on her and Reina's re-connection. They were sitting in on a sacred ritual, a sacrament, as heathens who corrupted what should be a private moment. Kumiko wanted nothing more than to get them all out of the way, but she held her tongue and smoldered in her seat. None of that mattered. Right then, only Reina did.

"Where's Reina?" she thought many times that night. Magma-like panic rose up through her chest and nearly burned her from the inside. Tears sprung from her eyes. Fighting them back proved fruitless.

Her waiting paid off in the end, however. Hours had passed, slowly and painfully, until the last act of the night stepped out to a thunderous applause. Reina glided onto the stage, illuminated overhead like an angel.

When she looked back years later, this performance was the first and only time music had ever driven Kumiko Oumae to tears from its beauty. She sat dumbstruck and inconsolable as the notes passed over her, flowed through her like a sieve but for the bits her heart clung to, too big and powerful to fit through fine mesh. Reina's eyes were closed this time, unlike when Kumiko had seen her first play at the bar. Whether this was from sadness or comfort, or a lack of a need to 'challenge' the audience now that she was on the path to her goal the brunette didn't know. Time flowed in a strange way - magnetism and gravity and time and space warping around just the two of them. The set passed quickly and then slowly, or otherwise seemed to last forever, and yet ended too suddenly all the same. Kumiko felt unable to sense the people around her, their presence or pressure. The world itself almost fell to the wayside. It was as though they were floating together in space.

Kumiko, at the end of the set, was in a daze and did not notice when the lights were raised and the other patrons began to leave. She heard and saw them, of course, but they were paper dolls to her and their actions background noise.

"Hey ma'am, the club is closing." a hand shook her shoulder and in pieces she reappeared into the world. She opened her mouth to answer, but was cut off. The man before her was the same as the one that morning.

"Aren't you Kumiko?" he asked, looking into her face more. "You're not supposed to be here!"

She bolted up then, startling the man momentarily, and rushed the stage where she saw the retreating figure of Reina. Tables thrust themselves in her way and she created a cacophonous song of clinking plates and smashed glasses while she ran through the seating area.

"Reina!" she called. "Reina, wait!"

Reina, eyes wide as saucers, turned around just in time to see Kumiko pull herself over the lip of the stage in a running leap and land hard on her knees. The black haired girl backed away slowly, at first unable to tear her eyes from the scene. She broke into a run a few seconds later and in desperation Kumiko followed suit.

The girls ran - one chasing, one following - through the oddly labyrinthine hallways in the back of the club. Kumiko tripped over herself once or twice, while Reina flew with swan-like grace just out of the brunette's reach. The chase went on until they found themselves cornered by a dead end. Reina busted open a door that lead outside only to find a small lot surrounded on all sides by large walls. There was nowhere left to run. Above both girls the moon shone lustrously behind thin clouds.

Kumiko bent over, hands on her knees, breathing hard. "W-wait." she panted, "Please...just...hear me out."

The trumpet player refused to look at the girl. She stood motionlessly, seething. Kumiko could have sworn that the anger emanating from Reina was heating up the chilly autumn air around them.

"I understood - after a few days I understood - why you broke up with me Kumiko. And really, I appreciate it. I realize that you hadn't abandoned me at all." Reina spoke before Kumiko could get a word out. "Or, that's what I thought until you ran away from me yesterday. I've never felt so terrible in my whole life."

Kumiko stepped closer; Reina stepped back. "I'm really, really sorry about that. I didn't expect to see you so soon - I didn't know how to react."

"That's no excuse. You ran from me like you never wanted to see me again."

"That's - trust me, that's not how I felt at all."

"Then you're terrible at showing your true feelings."

The girls stood separated by what Kumiko felt were miles, although it was only a few feet at most. She couldn't find the right words to explain herself and Reina's arm-crossed stance didn't suggest an open mind anyway.

"That's the problem exactly." Kumiko grumbled. "I really can't get how I feel across to you."

"Then tell me how you feel, right now. No more running, and no more games." Reina asked. As always, she was direct.

"Like the villain I told you I'd be. Only, being a villain hurt more than I ever imagined."

Reina uncrossed her arms, but refused to look Kumiko in the eyes.

"And yet, I wouldn't change my decision even if I could. You finally got a taste of being 'special' - a good start. I'd be worse than a villain if I took that from you." Kumiko paused and chose her next words carefully. "I guess what I'm feeling is...is scared. I'm still frightened at the thought of losing you to fame and fortune, even when I know it's for the best. It's so selfish and weak of me."

Tears streamed from Kumiko's eyes, try as she might to hold them back. Reina hadn't answered but she let out something that sounded like a giggle, which confused and angered the brunette. Standing beneath a halo of moonlight, Reina ran a hand through her hair and then spoke. For a moment Kumiko could have sworn the girl was glowing, was finally exposing the otherworldly spirit inside that Kumiko knew she had.

"That's not selfish at all, Kumiko." her voice was smooth and carried notes of understanding, of kindness. Lavender softness appeared in her eyes, totally different from the hard amethyst they were before.

"How isn't it selfish? You deserve honor and fame, and yet I want -"

Reina cut her off. "It's not selfish because I feel the same way you do. All of the fame and respect I gained on the tour meant nothing to me when I realized how lonely I was without you."

Kumiko couldn't believe what she was hearing. She felt that this had to be a dream. The painful pounding in her chest convinced her otherwise.

"So now I'm going to be selfish." Reina continued. "Kumiko, please stand by me - even if it hurts you. Even if you're lonely sometimes. I'll make it up to you one day, I promise."

The brunette felt overwhelmed by emotion as though she were hit by a tidal wave: happiness, fear, sadness, anger, elation - these feelings washed over her without pause or mercy. Reina, one hand outstretched towards Kumiko, gazed with her unwavering eyes and waited for the future-deciding decision. One choice connected them with the red string of fate. The other would separate the girls forever, as though with an unscalable wall or an impossible distance.

Kumiko stood up straight and met Reina's gaze with the same intensity. Her heartbeat was calm and measured, strengthened by her resolve.

She took a step forward and placed her hand in the other girl's.

It was a confession of love, after all.

Thanks for reading! I hope the story lived up to everyone's expectations.

As always, reviews and criticism are both greatly appreciated.